John Fetterman reacts after NBC interview sparks debate about his health

Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman promised that he would be “much better” in January after an NBC reporter disclosed the support the Democrat needed during a sit-down interview that aired this week.

On Tuesday night, NBC reporter Dasha Burns told viewers ahead of airing the first sit-down interview with the state’s lieutenant governor since he suffered a stroke in the spring that he still has “a hard time understanding what people are saying”.

She added this disclaimer after explaining the use of the network’s closed captioning technology for the interview.

“Some of the conversations”, she added, that were conducted without the assistance of closed captions were a “challenge for the candidate” and that “it wasn’t clear he understood what I was saying” without the written prompts.

While the disclosure kicked off an online debate that didn’t seem likely to die down in the foreseeable future, the Senate candidate addressed the issue on his own social media platform in a straightforward post.

“Recovering from a stroke in public isn’t easy. But in January, I’m going to be much better – and Dr. Oz will still be a fraud,” tweeted Mr Fetterman on Wednesday, hours after the fracas online over the interview had erupted.

During that same NBC interview, Mr Fetterman addressed his recovery and the hurdles he’s had to overcome, both with regards to his own health and his opponent’s attacks on his medical charts.

Dr Mehmet Oz, he alleged, is “cheering on for me not to get better.”

The Republican candidate’s campaign has trolled Mr Fetterman for weeks, decrying his reluctance to share a debate stage this past September as evidence that he is too unwell to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate.

In August, the Oz campaign issued a taunting message to Fetterman’s, writing: “Dr Oz promises not to intentionally hurt John’s feelings at any point. We will allow John to have all of his notes in front of him along with an earpiece so you can have the answers given to him by his staff in real time.

“At any point John Fetterman can raise his hand and say bathroom break … We will pay for any additional medical personnel who might need to have on standby.”

At that time, Dr Oz denied any involvement in the campaign messages posted on his website, while Mr Fetterman responded by saying, “Dr Oz’s team … think it is funny to mock a stroke survivor.”

A debate is now scheduled for 25 October, which will see Mr Fetterman take to the stage for the first and only time ahead of the 8 November election.